Playa de las Americas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this is a tough one. The whole 16-day window for Playa de las Americas is a real flat spell. We’re talking about a stretch where the swell barely gets its knees wet, and the quality is pretty ordinary. The first recommendation doesn’t kick in until the morning of Thursday the 10th, and even then, it’s not much to write home about. There’s a long gap of small, poor surf right through the middle of the period, with only a few fleeting moments of something that’s just about surfable. The water temp is sitting at 75°F with a tiny anomaly of 0.7°F, so it’s pretty average for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

Let’s run through it. Thursday morning the 10th, we’ve got a tiny 1 ft swell from the SSW with a period of 13 seconds and a weak energy reading of (38). The wind is offshore from the ESE, making it clean, but it’s just too small – poor surf conditions. The afternoon picks up a touch to 1 ft, still dirty with cross-off wind, but it’s surfable in a very ordinary way. Friday the 11th is similar: 1 ft SSW swell, period 12 seconds, energy (52) in the morning, then (82) in the afternoon. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s clean, but again, the waves are gutless.

Saturday the 12th is the best of a bad bunch early on. Morning brings a glassy 1 ft SSW swell, period 11 seconds, energy (44). The wind is a dead calm glass-off from the SW. It’s small, but glassy conditions at a beach and reef are a treat. If you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your window. It’s not a standout, just the least ugly option. The afternoon goes cross-off and stays small.

We hit a real dead zone from Sunday the 13th through to Tuesday the 15th. Swell is flat at 1 ft to 1 ft, mostly from the NW or SSW, with periods dropping to 9 seconds – that’s short period windswill, no energy to speak of. The wind is mostly glassy or light cross-off, but there’s nothing to push you around. Just poor surf conditions, end of story.

Then Wednesday the 16th is where things get a bit interesting. Morning swell is 1 ft from the SSW with a period of 16 seconds – that’s a long period groundswell, which is rare in this small state. Energy jumps to (113), which is moderate. The wind is light cross-off from the NNE, so it’s clean. The afternoon is even better: 2 ft from the S, period still 16 seconds, energy (145), and glassy calm conditions. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook. The long period means the waves will have some shape and punch, but at a beach and reef break, it might break a bit straight. Still, for the size, it’s a standout. Thursday the 17th keeps the 2 ft S swell going with a period of 14 seconds, energy (142) to (131), and clean offshore ESE wind. Good, but not quite as good as Wednesday.

After that, it slowly fades. Friday the 18th has 2 ft S swell, period 13 seconds, energy (115), cross-off wind – still surfable but ordinary. The rest of the period from the 19th to the 25th is a mix of 1 ft to 1 ft swells, mostly from the SSW, with periods varying from 12 to 16 seconds. Energy stays low, mostly under 100, with a few spots like the 22nd afternoon hitting (137) from a NNW swell. That Wednesday the 22nd afternoon is glassy with a 1 ft NNW swell, period 13 seconds, energy (137) – that’s another little window if you’re keen.

The 25th afternoon has a little 1 ft SSW swell, period 12 seconds, energy (129), and glassy conditions. It’s surfable, but nothing to plan a trip around.

Overall, the best single session is Wednesday the 16th afternoon with that 2 ft glassy groundswell. The next best is Thursday the 17th morning. Everything else is small, weak, and only worth a look if you’re a log or a foil. The crowd profile at Playa de las Americas is often busy, and with this tiny surf, it’ll be a zoo of learners. The spot is consistent and exposed to the SW, which is the optimum direction, so it’s got the right setup – just no swell to work with.

Rusty.

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